An Australian pilot died in Brazil after his light aircraft crashed into a sugarcane field, exposing nearly 200 kilograms of cocaine in what investigators believe was part of a transatlantic smuggling operation.
The crash occurred on September 14 near Coruripe, Alagoas. The victim, 46-year-old Timothy James Clark, was a veteran aviator who had flown for Qantas and Virgin Australia.
He was the sole occupant of the Sling Aircraft D8 Sling 4 TSI, registered in Zambia but linked to a Brazilian company.
Brazilian Federal Police recovered 187 cocaine bricks, weighing between 180 and 195 kilograms, hidden inside the wreckage and marked with counterfeit SpaceX logos. The drugs could fetch up to R920 million in Australia or Europe.
Authorities suspect Clark’s plane suffered an engine failure shortly after taking off from a rural airstrip. No distress call was made. Australian and Brazilian investigators are now probing whether Clark was knowingly involved with international cartels or duped into transporting the drugs.
“This case highlights how traffickers exploit skilled pilots and sophisticated flight routes to avoid detection,” said a Brazilian Federal Police spokesperson.
The incident adds another chapter to Brazil’s long fight against narcotics networks, leaving behind questions about Clark’s role and the origins of the deadly cargo.
No comments:
Post a Comment